The Inception Grant 2026–27
The Delton Cables Inception Grant for Photography.
Applications are now open.
A year of structured support for one emerging South Asian photographer — production funding, career development and a solo exhibition.
About the Grant
A new addition to the Inception Grant programme.
The Delton Inception Grant for Photography is a new and distinct addition to the Inception Grant programme, initiated and supported by Delton Cables.
The grant responds to a gap in support for emerging photographers in India, where photography as a serious art form remains comparatively under-supported. It supports one emerging South Asian photographer with a year of structured support, including production funding, career development and a solo exhibition.
Delton will also sponsor a limited-edition Delton calendar, presented with the photographer’s story and distributed to senior industrialists, collectors and cultural patrons across India. It is the kind of visibility a young photographer would take years to build.
The Grantee Will Receive
Support that lasts the whole year.
Cash Grant
₹2,00,000, paid in two installments. The second is tied to a written progress note at the six-month mark — an important touch point in the structure.
Statement Development
Personal statement development with a commissioned writer/editor, suitable for gallery, press and institutional use.
Solo Show
A solo show at Art Incept, Gurgaon. The exhibition will also be made available on the Art Incept online platform.
Delton Calendar 2027
Twelve photographs from the grant year featured in the Delton Cables Calendar 2027. The grantee provides non-exclusive reproduction rights for use in the calendar and its promotion.
Grant Mentor
Designed with Abhishek Poddar.
Founder & President, MAP
The grant has been designed in consultation with Abhishek Poddar, Founder & President of the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru.
Abhishek served as a guide to the team and, in shaping the structure of the programme, suggested how the independent jury should work and guided the FCEA team on the selection and development process. His experience brings curatorial rigour, institutional authority, and a deep understanding of what emerging photographers in India need at the start of their careers.
The jury is composed of independent senior practitioners, curators and cultural figures. All selection decisions will be made independently with the support of FCEA and Delton Cables.
Who Should Apply
Photographers at the start.
The grant is medium-agnostic. Applicants may work in analogue or digital photography, in the studio or field, and through constructed or observational approaches.
- Are building a sustained artistic practice
- Are developing a coherent body of work with a clear conceptual, aesthetic or thematic direction
- Intend to develop a new body of work during the grant year
- Would benefit from production funding, professional support and public visibility
- Are at a stage where gallery representation, institutional acquisition or sustained critical attention has not yet arrived
Eligibility Criteria
Do you qualify?
South Asian by birth, heritage or primary artistic formation. Eligible countries:
- Aged 21–40, inclusive, as of 30 March 2027
- South Asian by birth, heritage or primary artistic formation
- Able to travel to India for the solo exhibition
- Not formally represented by a commercial gallery at the time of application
- Has not received a grant, fellowship or award of ₹3,00,000 or more from any institution in the 12 months preceding the deadline
- Not faculty, staff or a paid consultant of an arts institution (art schools, museums, foundations)
- Full-time salaried employment unrelated to artistic practice is permitted, provided photography remains your primary creative pursuit
Application Requirements
What you’ll need to submit.
Portfolio
15–25 photographs representing your current practice.
Artist Statement
300–500 WORDSDescribe your practice, what you photograph, why you photograph it, and the questions or concerns driving your work. Write in the first person and in clear, plain language — this is not a biography.
Project Proposal
400–600 WORDSDescribe the body of work you intend to produce, or have partially produced, that you would like to show. Tell us what you plan to make, why this is the right moment to make it, what the grant would make possible, and what a solo show of this work might look and feel like.
CV / Practice Summary
MAX 2 PAGESInclude education, exhibitions, residencies, publications, grants, commissions and relevant professional experience. Limited exhibition history is not a barrier — you may briefly describe where and how your work has been seen or shared.
Process Documentation
OPTIONALUp to 3 minutes of video documenting your practice or process, particularly encouraged for performative, installation-based or process-dependent work.
Two References
Names, roles and contact details of two people who can speak directly about your work — artists, educators, curators, gallerists or residency directors. Reference letters are not required, and referees are contacted only for shortlisted applicants.
Deadline: 30 October 2026
Ready to apply?
Applications close 30 October 2026. Have your portfolio and documents ready as PDFs before you begin.